I’m launching an online marketing platform to connect brands with potential customers in a completely new way. The biggest component of the business is partnering with various large and medium size brands that are willing to experiment with their marketing approach and product offerings. Until now, I was working on devising the business plan and the operational aspects of it but now is the time when I have to penetrate the C-Suite, specifically the Chief Marketing Officer suite at those brands I want to sell to. I am not sure how to go about it. Do I sent emails, pick up the phone, send letters? Do I prepare a “pitch deck” that I email the brands or send them or a top view summary page? I am totally unconnected to those brands and they span across various industries. Any ideas or insights would be appreciated!

Comments (3)

I like this question because it’s actually a really common question that people have when they are trying to think of a business idea. The question is really: how can I sell my idea if I am not a sales person and I do not have connections to the people I need to sell to?

And the short answer is that you don’t have a business idea if you don’t know how to sell to your customer.

The long answer is that the crux of every good business plan is a way to sell. You need to either have connections or you need to have a great “go to market strategy,” which would be a plan to attract the attention of those people with something else that you’re doing. For example, Mark Zuckerberg was not connected to anyone at other colleges, but he knew that if he had the Harvard kids all lined up on Facebook, other college kids would want to come.

There are a million business ideas that would be good if only you could get to the people who have million dollar budgets. But really those are not business ideas. Because getting to the person is too hard.

As an entrepreneur you don’t have a business because you don’t have those connections. Try to think of a company that solves a problem for people who you have access to.

Ugh- this is not the appropriate spot for my comment but I hope you see it nonetheless. I discovered you today on the PW site, and I love your writing and admire your lightening bolt honesty. It’s all a bit much for some of the god botherers over yonder, and it seems to me their criticisms of you are laced with a visible fear. A fear of you having another ‘platform’ for your opinions. . Keep telling it how you see it sister. Thank you for speaking your mind and sharing your stories.